1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to a building automation system (BAS), and more particularly, to BAS controllers which provide automated real time software configuration and database backup.
2. Background of Related Art
BAS controllers, such as the Tracer SC™ controller manufactured by Trane International Inc. of Davidson, N.C., USA, are used to coordinate, manage, and automate control of diverse environmental, physical, and electrical building subsystems, particularly heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and climate control. The BAS controller can be hardwired or use a proprietary communication standard or protocol to link the various subsystems and provide system-wide user access, monitoring, and control. Alternatively, some BAS controllers can be battery-powered and can be configured for wireless communication.
Various data, e.g., factory default settings, firmware updates, diagnostic data, software configuration data, one or more databases, etc., can be used by the BAS controller, thereby allowing the BAS controller to manage/control one or more components associated with or connected to the BAS.
The aforementioned data can be stored on a component of the BAS controller (and/or the BAS) and can be backed up at set or specific times, typically manually initiated or performed on a set schedule, which can be time consuming and can require a majority of processor and storage resources of the BAS controller. The backed up data is typically stored internally on a solid state device, such as a NAND flash chip, and can be used if the BAS controller or the BAS becomes inoperable.
For example, if the BAS controller experiences failure that requires the BAS controller to be returned to its factory default settings (or if the hardware needs to be replaced), the most recent backup can manually be restored to the BAS controller. As can be appreciated, however, depending on when the most recent backup was performed, the backed up data can be days, weeks, or even months/years old. If the backup process is supposed to be performed manually, the possibility exists that the data was not backed up at all. This scenario, in turn, could result in a complete loss of configuration and database information, thereby resulting in the configuration and database information having to be re-created by a user without the benefit of any previously backed up data for assistance, i.e., re-created from scratch.